Seven Pastoral Uses of the
Yearbook
of American & Canadian Churches
·
Flood once again ravages the Mississippi. Your congregation wants to
provide relief supplies and a youth work camp to assist victims. You consult
Directory 6 U.S. Ecumenical Bodies, to obtain the name and contact numbers for
the North Dakota Conference of Churches in order to forge a partnership in a
ministry of relief.
·
You have been approached by a local pastor of the Apostolic Christian
Church. His congregation wishes to discuss with your congregation the
possibility of using your sanctuary on Sunday evenings for worship. You wish to
present this request to your church board but you are not familiar with this
church and its traditions and beliefs. You consult Directory 3 U.S. Religious
Bodies, to read about this denomination. For follow-up questions you contact the
church headquarters at the number listed in the Yearbook
of American & Canadian Churches.
·
There is a large Muslim community in your town. Your church is planning to
host a community health fair in the year 2000. You want to be certain that the
date will not conflict with any Muslim holidays. You consult Section IV in the Yearbook
of American & Canadian Churches to find a date that is respectful
of all religious traditions.
·
Your Stewardship committee is planning a presentation to the congregation
to develop financial pledges to the church.
Last year per capita giving in your church was $613. The committee is
interested in how this compares to giving nationally within your denomination
and in others. You consult in the Yearbook
of American & Canadian Churches Section III, Table 4 to offer
statistical information, which allows you to see your pattern of giving within a
larger context.
·
Your congregation will soon celebrate its centennial. A group is working
on writing a history of the parish. The
group needs to locate some records for your denomination, which are nearly 100
years old. You consult Directory 12 Depositories of Church History Material, in
the Yearbook
of American & Canadian Churches, which provides the group with
the contact information for your denominational archives.
· Your congregation, working with other congregations in a local ecumenical agency, recognizes the need to establish a local ecumenical youth ministry. Many ideas about program, focus, cost, and organization are put forward. Consulting the chapter index for Directory 6 US Ecumenical Bodies, you note that nearly 40 ecumenical agencies provide such programs. With the contact names and addresses, you suggest your group collect some information about what others are doing
· A young woman in your congregation is interested in pursuing a vocational call. She doesn’t know which seminary she should consider and wonders how many women are engaged in theological study. You refer her to the Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches where she finds in Directory 8, U.S. Theological Schools and Bible Colleges, a complete listing of schools with contact information and denominational affiliation. In Section IV, she is able to review seminary enrollment statistics for women over the last decade.